keeping amps in cars???

ondaone · #1 01-17-2011, 05:37 AM

Hey guys I go to practice straight from work , I just boght a trace elliot 200w 715 , I am at work for 10 hours and if I can leave my amp in the trunk I would love to( its safe I or someone can see my car all day) , do you think sitting in a trunk in the middle of a Canadian winter will damage my amp, I will let it warm up before I play it but I am concerned with condensation . I can bring it in to the clinic but if I can get away with out having to lug it and my bass(which comes with me) I would love to . So is it safe or do I have to just not be lazy and lug my amp.

I have never had this problem before , I use to keep an amp where we practice but I sold it to get the TE , and I don't trust the other band that we share our practice spot with not to touch it, so I am brining my amp to each practice, last week I just brought it on to work with me .Man I thought I got alot of comments about bringing in my bass ,

so what do you guys think ,

thanks
jim

coreyfyfe · #2 01-17-2011, 06:55 AM

As long as you give it proper time to warm up (and dry out if any condensation forms) before firing it up you should be good to go. With a tube amp I'd be a little more cautious, I had a tube crack on me after sitting in my car over a frigid night, but otherwise it should be ok.

funknasty · #3 01-17-2011, 06:59 AM

Bad idea. Electronics and water,not a good combo. My engineer friend always tells me not to leave it out side in either cold or hot and humid weather.

BagelBruin · #4 01-17-2011, 07:31 AM

You could bring it into work!

bolophonic · #5 01-17-2011, 07:32 AM

I wouldn't do it.

kosmicwizard · #6 01-17-2011, 07:36 AM

If I couldn't trust the people that have access to my practice space I would go elsewhere or lock it up in there. If this is totally out of the question, I would suck it up and bring it into work, I personally don't worry about weight of my but if the day ever comes when weight is an issue, I will not own gear I can't schlep where ever it needs to go. Hope you figure something out that works for all involved! Cheers.

michael_atw · #7 01-17-2011, 07:51 AM

Don't forget - it could be 50 degrees out but with the sun beaming down your car can quickly become a blast furnace. I'm pretty paranoid about leaving my amp heads and guitars in a car in ANY weather.

throughthefire · #8 01-17-2011, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondaone

I don't trust the other band that we share our practice spot with not to touch it

+1 to finding another practice area populated by people you can trust.

Or, remove the fuse when you go (or a tube). Any chance of finding a cupboard or small room to lock it in?

We work with computers, and we'd never subject anything electronic to hot/cold treatment. Sooner or later something will give. Expensively.

Pete.

jgroh · #9 01-17-2011, 08:18 AM

I usually never leave any equipment in my car but I admit to leaving my amp and cab in the car overnight after the last couple of gigs. The gigs were over an hour away and by the time I got home I was wiped (and with 2 small kids that get up early, I was trying to get to bed asap to get as much sleep as I could). The amp/cab have been fine but I wont make a habit of it.

I would absolutely not leave my basses in the car at any time though. I think your amp will be ok.

chadds · #10 01-17-2011, 08:24 AM

When I leave my amp & cab in the car I have to turn it up really loud to be heard inside the venue.

**251** · #11 01-17-2011, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondaone

Hey guys I go to practice straight from work , I just boght a trace elliot 200w 715 , I am at work for 10 hours and if I can leave my amp in the trunk I would love to( its safe I or someone can see my car all day) , do you think sitting in a trunk in the middle of a Canadian winter will damage my amp, I will let it warm up before I play it but I am concerned with condensation . I can bring it in to the clinic but if I can get away with out having to lug it and my bass(which comes with me) I would love to . So is it safe or do I have to just not be lazy and lug my amp.

I have never had this problem before , I use to keep an amp where we practice but I sold it to get the TE , and I don't trust the other band that we share our practice spot with not to touch it, so I am brining my amp to each practice, last week I just brought it on to work with me .Man I thought I got alot of comments about bringing in my bass ,

so what do you guys think ,

thanks
jim

I don't see any temperature specs in the manual. To be safe, let the amp warm up in your practice space for 30 minutes before turning on the power.

Download a copy of the manual by following this path
> All products > Bass Amplification > 7 Band Amplification > 715 Combo (pre 2009)> on this page;
http://www.trace-elliot.co.uk/

The manual link is at the bottom of the page.

michael_atw · #12 01-17-2011, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chadds

When I leave my amp & cab in the car I have to turn it up really loud to be heard inside the venue.

My venue IS my car....so I have no problem with the volume issue.

JTE · #13 01-17-2011, 09:24 AM

I live in central Illinois where ambient temperatures range routinely from -10º F to 105º F. When I was gigging regularly my amps and cabinets pretty much lived in the van. The basses and guitars went in, the gig bag with the gaff tape went in, but the electronics and the speakers stayed in the van unless they were going in for a gig or a rehearsal.

Just make sure they warm up completely before you plug them in (not just turn on), and you'll be fine, if you have good stuff. That's part of the criteria for gear in my opinion. It's got to work in the real world, reliably.

John

**sleepy_monkey** · #14 01-17-2011, 09:31 AM

We used to practice in a storage shed...you know...the kind like on Storage Wars, etc...where there are 50 bands playing at the same time. Jigga jigga jigga jigga jig jig. You get the point. Anyway, the band I played with left all of their gear in the storage unit...cabs, tube amps, guitars, PA speakers, etc....and never had any problems due to cold weather, hot weather, etc.... Maybe they were lucky.

I personally took my gear every time and took it home with me. I never leave basses in my car...I actually blacked my windows out for the purpose of leaving a cabinet in the back of my car.

rockstarbassist · #15 01-17-2011, 09:48 AM

I have to leave my rig in the car sometimes between work b/c I go from home-work-rehearsal and I don't feel like doing a full load-out and load-in for the lil bit that stuff is in my Expedition. Never any issues, but it's all sealed and that's why I have an SUV over a pickup nowadays.
My basses though, I just bring inside and put by my desk.

dvh · #16 01-17-2011, 09:53 AM

I've done it - reluctantly. I agree, best to avoid but if you let the unit warm to room temperature before you fire it up, should be ok.

It was -25 C here in Peterborough last night. Tomorrow up to +3 C. What a rollercoaster

onosson · #17 01-17-2011, 10:15 AM

I've had a couple of bad experiences with this. I used to leave gear in my vehicle overnight occasionally - especially on nights below -30 when I just want to get in the house ASAP. Had my car broken into and my amp stolen once, about 10 years ago. Never again. (at least it was a cheap Yorkville and not something nice)

After that, I would keep some gear in my shed - just amps, stands that kind of thing. It's fairly secure, but obviously at the ambient temperature outside. Speaker cabs have never given me a problem, but I did have an issue with a SS amp once. I brought my GK 700RBII into a gig a couple years ago when I was running late, and had to set up and play pretty quickly. During the first set, there was a faint burning smell, and the amp shut off and went into auto-protect mode. I was pretty worried, though at least there was a house bass rig to use for the rest of the night. In the end, the amp came back on with no issues. I don't know what happened, though I suspect some condensation got into some place it wasn't supposed to be - luckily, it didn't seem to cause any lasting damage.

So, no gear gets left in my vehicle at all anymore, and electronics never get left outside at all in the winter. I rely on gigging for my income, so for me it's better safe than sorry.

jasonbraatz · #18 01-17-2011, 10:18 AM

Just make sure that your gear is still insured if it's stolen out of your car. (It probably isn't.)

**sleepy_monkey** · #19 01-17-2011, 10:19 AM

+1^^^

I am more worried about someone stealing my gear from my car rather than the weather....

derridiandrift · #20 01-17-2011, 10:26 AM

I live a few hours away from you. I've done it. I had an SVT that lived in an equipment trailer or a van for years before I owned it, only to be taken out at gigs. Currently, my gear spends the night in equipment trailers/vans whenever we venture out of town for a few nights in a row. Where else is it going to go while you're driving between cities?

Here's my suggestion... if you are the kind of person who is really concerned about keeping your gear in new condition, then don't leave your stuff in a vehicle. If you think of your gear as a tool of the trade, then be aware that it will survive being left in a vehicle in the cold Canadian winters. It's pretty hard to avoid when you live in Canada. Any time you drive more than a 20 minutes to a gig in the winter, your stuff is going to get cold. Once it's cold and then brought back inside, it's going to get condensation on it. The only way to avoid this in the winter is to keep it in your house, then move it to your warmed up car, then bring it directly into the venue from your car. Kind of unrealistic for me, but your situation may be different.

Here's the caveat: you need to be aware that condensation will take its toll on your gear. Over the course of many years it will corrode the jacks, the pots, switch contacts, tube sockets, tube pins, and any conceivable mechanical connection. If you do this all the time, you will have to maintain your equipment accordingly. It will survive, but it will need your attention every few years.

Also, be aware that you need to let your gear warm up before you fire it up. If the contacts have condensation on them, you could short something out before the water evaporates. I had an SVT4-pro blow up on me that way once. It was brought into the venue from the van, was placed directly on stage, and then turned on immediately (by someone else, not me). POOF. Condensation on the power supply side of the transformer. Give your equipment 15 or 20 minutes to get warm enough to prevent this kind of thing.

Theft is the bigger concern. If the gear can't be seen from outside the vehicle, the chances of theft are less, as long as nobody saw you put the gear into your car after a gig and then knew where your car was parked over night.